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[truthstranger]

Here it is!!

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[truthstranger]

...Yeah. I'm glad... he's there for you too, anyway.

[ He takes a deep breath. ]

The other thing is... that Momota-kun and I are... dating, now. Ah... he knows about my feelings for you, though. I actually told him about that before I confessed...

[fabling]

[ That he can believe easily enough anyway. Shuichi had said he was glad about that before... That he had more than him--that Kaito and Hinasaki were there too.

But the rest he probably should have just let him put that glass down for first. His blood goes cold, glass shattering all the way through to the point where it just spills water on his lap and the bed. His hands don't even move, letting it tumble down because he's trying to keep up with everything.

Why is it all happening in one day?

His hands are probably cut in different places, but it's hard to register that when his emotions hurt enough already. ]

When did you...?

[ He probably isn't going to get the answer though, knowing Shuichi he'll be more alarmed by the mess he's made of his hands right now. ]

[truthstranger]

[ In fact Shuichi shows no interest in continuing the conversation at the moment, instead leaping up in concern immediately. ]

Ah—Ouma-ku—hang on, let me—

[ He crosses the space to the kitchen in a split second to grab a towel, which he presses into Ouma's hands. ]

Keep pressure on it while I get some bandages!

[ And then he hurries off to the bathroom. ]

[fabling]

[ He's half aware of something being pressed into his hands, something soft? But his eyes are blurry and it takes a while to actually realise they're watering up.

He's too out of it to put pressure on anything, but at least Shuichi had pushed it into his hands enough to do something. ]

[truthstranger]

[ He returns before too long, anyway, with gauze and tape, and kneels on the floor in front of Ouma so he can get a better view of his hands. ]

Here, I can—

[ He notices, of course, that Ouma is clearly also upset, but for now the alarm of seeing his hands cut up overwhelms it, and he just goes to work, focused. He takes the towel back and properly dries the water and blood before laying gauze across each cut and wrapping it. It takes a couple minutes of quiet work before he's done and he releases a slow breath.

Then he moves to gather the glass, a bit of gauze wrapped around his own hand to be safe. ]

...Sorry.

[fabling]

[ His fingers twitch slightly as Shuichi works, and it's oddly reminiscent of the time he cut himself with the knife trying to do the knife game. Instead of the feeling of warmth like last time, however, he just feels



tight? His chest feels really. Really. Tight. ]

Don't. [ His eyes are lowered to his hands, and really he doesn't care about that much. He can get it healed somewhere, maybe Akashi's actually improved on what he was trying to do a month ago and can heal cuts now. Who knows. But he doesn't want to look at Shuichi now so it's easier to keep his eyes fixed on that. ]

[truthstranger]

[ He throws all the glass away, and then comes back to sit on the bed. This time he sits closer to Ouma, even though he's even more unsure he wants it. ]

...Don't... don't run away, okay? I... really wanted to talk to you, these past few days. I mean, even before that, too.

You can cry, if you want. Or yell, or... whatever you want. But I want to be here for it.

[fabling]

[ His hands have clenched by the time he gets back, like maybe if his hands hurt the pain will stop him from being so foggy and be able to cope with this.

Maybe being out of it would be better. Being conscious of it he's able to semi-control his voice enough to keep it even. ]

But you didn't before that. I hadn't run away before the 14th, but you didn't. Unless it happened then, Saihara-chan? Tell me that's when it happened.

[truthstranger]

...No. It was a bit before then. I just wasn't sure... what to do. I wasn't sure how to handle it, and then there were other things going on... and I wondered, what if I was wrong about how you felt...?

It was your notes that made me decide I definitely had to do something, so... I guess you were braver than me. I just... didn't want to hurt you.

[ Said in a tone that is very aware of the painful irony, as he looks a Ouma's hands, and despite his hesitation he reaches out to touch them again. ]

Don't hurt yourself more.

[fabling]

[ A bit before then was how long exactly? A few days? A week? The entire month before? ]

I never lied about how I felt, Saihara-chan.

[ And while Shuichi's tone of voice is aware of how all of this sounds now, his own is ... disappointed? Dejected? Either way, it's stopped as hands touch his and his own are spasming. ]

I told you that I trusted you with all my heart, didn't I?

[ I trusted you with all my heart isn't the same as with my heart, but it's close enough. At least he's managed to blink back any tears by now, he's cried enough today already and it's hard to sink purely into tears when he is a little mad at them both as well. ]

[truthstranger]

[ The date was specified as 'ish', it is a mystery. ]

Yes, I know. But that's different than... seriously wanting to be with me, romantically. Or... um. Otherwise. And you know... I don't always have confidence in my observations. And I'm still learning, when it comes to you.

[ He holds Ouma's hands lightly in his so they don't clench again. ]

...Do you mind if... I kiss them better?

[fabling]

[ Truly a mystery. ]

So I should have been more obvious, huh? [ Well, he was in the end. Nothing quite says "I like you" like a mirror of pink and purple post it notes in the shape of a heart with cute notes on them. ]

This isn't some weird revenge for me kissing your boyfriend is it?

[ Rather than sounding teasing though, it just sounds. Tired. ]

[truthstranger]

No.

[ firmly. ]

I don't mind that you kissed him at all, even if I wish he would have timed it a little bit better. But this isn't about that, right now. I just want to do it.

But... I won't if you don't want me to.

[fabling]

[ His eyes flicker up to his face at the firmness of the no, a little of the tension in him seeping out. He's still wound up, but it's better than it was. ]

I wanted you to the first time, y'know?

[ Slowly, his hands open up, permission granted. ]

[truthstranger]

[ He doesn't quite smile at that, but his face definitely brightens visibly. ]

Yeah. Sorry I took so long to get it.

[ He brings Ouma's hands to his lips to brush his fingertips. There aren't actually any cuts there. Then he moves to kiss his knuckles. He does drop some kisses lightly on the wrapped cuts, but mostly he appears to be intending to kiss every bit of bare skin left on his hands. ]

[fabling]

I-It's-- [ He tries to keep his voice even, for what it's worth. ] --fine.

[ But the kisses on his fingertips are enough to make his own face flush, tingles spreading from his fingertips to his toes. His breath feels off, but it's more because the feeling is pleasant rather than panic or anything like that. He doesn't look away, eyes on Shuichi's mouth the entire time, amazed that this is happening at all. ]

[truthstranger]

[ He finishes off his circuit at his fingertips again, kissing them a little more open-mouthed this time, so his tongue just brushes the pads of his fingers, before pulling back, his own face also red. ]

B-Better...?

[fabling]

[ His breath hitches high in his throat, face and ears on fire by the time he can feel the trace of tongue on the skin of his fingertips. ]

I dunno, Saihara-chan... Maybe you'll have to do it one more time.

[truthstranger]

[ Now he really does smile happily. ]

Whatever you say.

[ And he dips his head to do it again. The touches of his lips are much less hesitant this time, and he uses his tongue more, running over the tips of his thumbs and dipping into the hollows between his fingers, lifting his hands to press open-mouthed kisses to the insides of his palms. ]

[fabling]

[ It's only something simple really, but it's soft and warm and then there's tongue and he's having to bite his lip to keep in any noises he wants to make with the way it feels. He isn't even thinking about what happened earlier in the day, after the conversation that came before this...




It's nice to just let this happen. To let himself sink into the feeling of warmth that seems to be in the air around them now. ]

[truthstranger]

[ He lingers at it a while, but eventually he gets to the point where it's not really justifiable as 'one more time', and he pulls back again, though he still doesn't let go of Ouma's hands. ]

...How's that...?

[fabling]

[ He's dazed though, when it stops, and by the end there are probably bubbles floating in the air around them, though strangely enough... they aren't circular this time but shaped more like hearts? He hasn't noticed them yet, of course, he's too busy staring at Shuichi. ]

H...Huh?

[truthstranger]

[ Seeing the heart bubbles causes such a swell of affection in his chest that the air behind him suddenly sparkles and glints, somehow refracting rainbows in places, and it takes him a moment to actually respond. ]

Um... Is it better now?

[fabling]

Mmm... It feels it.

[ He can't tell anymore anyway when he's worked up over other things. ]

[truthstranger]

Good.

[ He drops their joined hands down to his lap, fingers still running lightly over the edges of the bandages. ]